Division eyes the future with structural biology program

The Division of Biological Sciences, in close cooperation with the Department of Chemistry, has launched an ambitious new program in structural biology.

This critical area of research promises to be a key part of the biology of the twentyfirst century as recent advances in high-resolution techniques, such as x-ray crystallography, have dramatically expanded knowledge of the structures of proteins and other macromolecules, says Dean Mark McNamee.

Structural biology techniques provide a powerful way to analyze the underlying mechanisms of human diseases caused by gene mutations that alter protein function. Therefore, a structural biology program is a crucial component of life sciences research, and the division's focus on establishing the program will put the campus in a leadership role in the "post-genome" research environment.

Two faculty x-ray crystallographers were recently recruited for the program, Andrew Fisher in Chemistry and Enoch Baldwin in the Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Another two recruitments are under way in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

A newly-established core research facility will support these four faculty positions and provide an opportunity for extensive collaborations among researchers at UC Davis and other regional facilities. Students will also have access to the facility, enabling them to learn new, sophisticated approaches to analyzing molecular structure and function.

The division's buildup of structural biology is particularly timely since student enrollment in all areas of molecular biology and biochemistry has grown steadily. The new faculty members will enable the division to keep pace with increasing enrollment pressure.